Pool
by csiAngel
Summary: SJ (although, Jack doesn't feature). A conversation with Sam proves costly for Daniel.


Title: Pool  
Author: csiAngel  
Rating: K+  
Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate SG1  
Summary: A conversation with Sam proves costly for Daniel  
A/N: I wrote most of the dialogue for this story over two years ago. Today I sat down to work on a Star Trek Voyager fic and, instead, found that I was inspired to finish this. Finally!

… … …

Head and shoulders tucked beneath an ancient (not nominally, but age-wise) machine, the purpose of which she had yet to determine, Sam had been half-listening to Daniel for the last twenty minutes or so. He had his own machine to investigate but his mind was, as ever, on overdrive and he had muttered through several topics, most of which did not concern her. Now, though, she thought she caught a reference to 'you'. Tuning in to him, she found she was correct and he was talking about something to do with her and General O'Neill. She listened to him chatter away for a few minutes longer coming to the awful realisation that he had apparently misunderstood something quite important about the two of them.

When he proudly proclaimed, "Well, I won that pool!" she couldn't help but interrupt.

"What?"

She manoeuvred herself out from the machine so she could look at him. She could see only his legs, but that would do.

His voice drifted from beneath his device. "Oh, come on, Sam, you had to have known that there was a pool."

"Of course I knew there was a pool. I don't understand how you won it."

"Well, the way a pool works –"

"Daniel, General O'Neill and I are not together."

"Right."

"We're both still officers in the Air Force."

He didn't reply to this and a moment later his legs bent and he wriggled himself free. Rising onto his elbows he stared at her, almost incredulous. "But he's –"

"It doesn't matter."

He reached full blown incredulity now. "Seriously? You're telling me that the two of you are still not together?"

Sam nodded.

Daniel's mouth moved as if he wanted to respond but the furrow of his brow, the widening then narrowing of his eyes - the look of complete and utter disbelief - implied that he couldn't come up with anything at all to say.

"Sorry, Daniel. You'd better pay that money back."

Sam resumed her task, shuffling herself back into position, secretly enjoying sensing that Daniel was still looking at her in total confusion.

A few minutes later he found his voice. "Wait, so... you're single?"

She didn't look out, just continued her work. "Yep."

"You're available?"

"Are you asking me out?"

"No... not least because Jack would kill me..."

"Vala would probably kill you."

"Vala?"

She was a little disappointed that he couldn't see her amused smirk, but she continued with her task.

A series of shuffling sounds and the occasional grunt indicated that he had returned to work.

... ... ...

"You didn't answer my question," he reminded her a few more minutes later.

"What question?"

"Are you available?"

"Are you planning to fix me up with someone?"

"Stop trying to avoid answering."

"Fine. Yes, technically I am available."

"Technically?"

"Yes."

"Because you're waiting for Jack?"

"That sounds a little –"

"Romantic."

"Dramatic."

"So you expect me to believe that despite all the tension that Teal'c and I couldn't possibly have missed when we were at Jack's cabin _three years ago_... the two of you are still not together?"

"Yep."

"But he left the SGC shortly after and, well, you both seemed a lot more relaxed around each other."

"I don't know what to tell you, Daniel, we're not together."

"I'm not gonna tell anyone."

"We're not together."

"But you agreed to wait for each other?"

"No."

"No?"

"We've never discussed it."

"So for _three years_ you and Jack have had an unspoken agreement that you'll be together eventually?"

"I can't speak for Jack."

"Oh my god, this is insane!"

Dropping her arms to her side – unable to concentrate any more – she made sure to sound offended. "Thank you."

"No, I don't mean –" The familiar sound of Daniel's movement let her know he was out in the open again, and his unmuffled voice confirmed it. "Sam, you can speak for Jack. I can speak for Jack. Anyone who has seen the two of you - or just seen Jack for that matter - in the last three years can speak for Jack. Of course, all those people would also have said you were together."

"Then they would all be wrong."

"And you're okay with this?"

She nodded before realising he wouldn't see it. "Yeah."

"Wow... I definitely did not see that coming."

There wasn't really anything else Sam could say, so she took her attention back to the tangle of wires she had managed to uncover. She could feel that Daniel was focused on her for several minutes longer, but eventually she heard him go back to his own task.

... ... ...

They worked quietly for a while, Mitchell and Vala occasionally checking in from outside, where they were recording further technology they had found in this village. Daniel had ceased his incessant mumbling – Sam presumed he was either concentrating on the task at hand, or he was still in disbelief and couldn't think what to say.

Eventually the quiet was broken again.

"I think it counts."

"That machine?"

"What?... No. No, I still have no idea what this does... I think, technically, even though you and Jack aren't _together_ together, the fact that you have agreed you will be together means that you are in fact together."

Sam closed her eyes, briefly, grateful now that he couldn't see her.

"Maybe if you gave less thought to me and Jack you might know what that device does."

"I just can't believe it."

"You'll get over it."

... ... ...

They managed a further fifteen minutes, or thereabouts, of quiet before he piped up, "I'm not giving the money back... You're practically together. And besides, no one would believe me."

"But _you_ do believe me?"

"Yeah. It makes sense... I hope the Air Force knows what sacrifices you have made. They should make you a general!"

"I don't think they give promotions for falling in love with your CO but not admitting it."

Sam froze as she realised what she had said. She heard Daniel move out quickly from under his machine and she slowly slid out from hers, knowing she had to face him for this.

Still lying on the floor, she rolled her head to the side to look at him sheepishly.

"You didn't say anything I didn't already know."

His tone implied that his words should reassure her but she suspected the smile she aimed for came out as more of a grimace.

Daniel seemed to understand. "Is that the first time you've said it out loud?"

"Yeah."

He smiled sympathetically. "You didn't say anything Jack doesn't already know."

She managed to give him a grateful smile now.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Okay," he nodded. "You know where I am if ever you do."

"Thanks Daniel… You should give that money back."

His expression showed his displeasure at that idea. "I know. I will."

Sam moved back towards her mystery machine but Daniel's voice stopped her before she disappeared.

"Could you give me a heads up when you and Jack – "

"You'll be the first to know," she assured him with a smile.

As she scooted back into position once more, Daniel called, "_Advance_ notice would be useful."

THE END


End file.
